People In The News: Cosby to school Philly TV

The comedian will appear on several shows and spots on the Philadelphia School District's local-access station and serve as a volunteer creative consultant.

The programming, including some student-produced segments, will include messages on homework, SAT preparation and vignettes about students and their communities.

The creator of "The Cosby Show" said Tuesday that the programming will reinforce lesson plans and give parents the opportunity to talk with their children about education.

"This can become a friend to the kid who finds that he or she is a bit shy or a bit slow in the classroom," he said. "The student can turn to that station to get help, even the student who may not know why he or she needs to be studying."

The station also will show reruns of Cosby's "Picture Pages," a program for preschoolers that originally aired in the late 1970s and '80s.

Cosby, a 66-year-old Philadelphia native, attended the city's public schools and has a bachelor's degree from Temple University and a doctorate in education.

"The great thing about Bill is, not only does he have a passion and a vision for helping children, but he has a way of conveying the truth that is both poignant and humorous," school district CEO Paul Vallas said.

The programming will begin airing in the fall.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Bo Derek is lending her fame to Illinois lawmakers working to keep horses from being slaughtered for human consumption.

The actress, best known for the 1979 movie "10," says horses shouldn't be killed for food in the United States since Americans don't eat horse meat.

Nearly 50,000 horses were slaughtered last year in the United States. The meat was then exported to Europe and Asia to be eaten, according to the National Horse Protection Coalition, an organization for which Derek serves as a spokeswoman.

"I'm not going to judge another culture and what they choose to eat, but I don't see why they have to eat American horses," Derek said Tuesday while standing in front of an aging horse named Lucky who was saved from a slaughtering pen nearly 20 years ago.

The Illinois legislation Derek supports is meant to keep a DeKalb horse slaughtering plant from reopening. Cavel International Inc. was destroyed in a fire two years ago, but it has been rebuilt and is scheduled to reopen this month.

FAIRLESS HILLS, Pa. - Students at Pennsbury High School had a surprise guest at their prom: singer John Mayer.

Mayer's song "Your Body Is a Wonderland" had become sort of a theme for the senior class, and their president, Bob Costa, had been working on getting Mayer for the prom for two years.

The three-song concert happened Saturday, thanks to Costa's lobbying and a book by Michael Bamberger. Intrigued by the school's annual prom parade, Bamberger wrote "Wonderland: The Story of a Prom," about a year in the life of the school's seniors and their quest to have Mayer play for the prom.

Mayer's publicist learned about the students and "Wonderland" and arranged for the surprise show.

MOBILE, Ala. - Mississippi rock band 3 Doors Down announced the creation of The Better Life Foundation, to benefit children in need of food, shelter and medical assistance.

The foundation, which will also work to enhance the lives of children and young adults with special needs, gets its name from the band's 2000 debut album.

"We see it as a start of something really good and we can do a lot with it. It makes us feel good, too, to do it," said lead singer Brad Arnold.

On Monday, Arnold, guitarists Matt Roberts and Chris Henderson and bassist Todd Harrell distributed $90,000 to 16 Gulf Coast charities. The funds were raised at a March concert.

The band's third album is set for release early next year. Arnold said when they hit the road to support the album, $1 from every ticket will go to the foundation.